A safety regulatory agency known as OSHA requires that press brakes be tested, at least periodically, to determine that they are operating satisfactorily. Since sudden unexpected failure cannot easily be predetermined by check, the practical effect of the regulation is to require periodic test checks to determine brake performance and possible deterioration.
There have been some proposals for incorporating the brake test equipment as a permanent part of the press installation, sometimes referred to as on-line equipment to distingush from separate independent test equipment, referred to as off-line test equipment. Permanent built-in test equipment is quite expensive, especially when a considerable number of presses are involved; and since the regulations do not specifically require permanent individual installations, there is a need for separate self-contained test equipment which can be quickly applied and removed to test a number of presses as often as may be needed.
There have been some proposals for independent applied brake testing equipment but, so far as is known, the equipment now available is somewhat complex, not capable of independent press operation and control for tests, difficult to apply, and not free from undesired action of the press while the tests are being conducted.